A little over a week has passed since the presentation of the first plug in Land Rover hybrid – the Range Rover Sport P400e -, and the brand wasted no time in presenting the second, the Range Rover P400e, also taking advantage of the renovation carried out to its flagship.
The Range Rover P400e shares the same powertrain with the Sport P400e. This combines the Ingenium four-cylinder in-line gasoline block with 2.0 liter turbo and 300 hp, with a 116 hp electric motor and a battery pack with a capacity of 13.1 kWh, with the power to be transmitted to the four wheels through of an eight-speed automatic transmission. The combination of the two engines guarantees 404 hp and 640 Nm of torque.
Like the Sport, the hybrid engine allows up to 51 km of maximum autonomy in electric mode. At a specific 32 A charging station, it takes about 2 hours and 45 minutes to charge the batteries. Average consumption, using the permissive NEDC cycle, is an optimistic 2.8 l/100 km and emissions of just 64 g/km.
For those looking for a different kind of thrill, the Range Rover is still available in the SVAutobiography Dynamic version. The 5.0-litre-capacity Supercharged V8 now delivers an additional 15hp for a total of 565hp and 700Nm of torque. Enough to launch 2500 kg up to 100 km/h in 5.4 seconds.
Like the Sport, the Range Rover received mild aesthetic updates. Nothing dramatically different, noting a new front grill, optics, and bumpers. To complement the slight revisions the Range Rover gets six new wheels and two new metallic colors – Rossello Red and Byron Blue.
Four options for headlights
Choices extend to headlamps – an option also available on the Range Rover Sport – offering four options: Premium, Matrix, Pixel and LED Pixel Laser. The Pixel options allow you to individually control each of the LEDs – more than 140 – present in the optics. This solution allows driving with the main beams turned on without running the risk of chaining the vehicles in front. The LED Pixel Laser version adds four laser diodes to the 144 LEDs for even more powerful lighting – it can project light up to 500 meters away.
According to Gerry McGovern, Land Rover's Design Director, Range Rover customers are clear about what they expect from the new Range Rover: “they ask us not to make changes, but to improve it”. And it is inside that we see it most clearly. Like the Sport, it receives the Touch Pro Duo infotainment system, comprising two 10-inch screens, complementing the digital instrument panel.
Focus on comfort
But it's just the beginning. The front seats are new, with new structure and thicker, more abundant foam, allowing 24 adjustments, and the armrests are now heated. At the rear the changes are even more profound. There are now 17 connection points: 230 V sockets, USB and HDMI inputs and 12 V plugs. There are also eight 4G Wi-Fi access points.
The rear seats offer 25 massage programs and become wider and softer. The back can be reclined up to 40° and in addition to the seats being climate-controlled – cooled and heated – the armrests, footrests and legrests are now also heated. With so many possibilities, the new Range Rover even lets you configure the seats remotely, through a smartphone application, to save that favorite configuration.
The updated Range Rover arrives later in the year, with the P400e hybrid arriving in early 2018.
